La Grunge: The Top 10 Blues-Approved Overdrive/Distortion Pedals

We look at the Top 10 blues-approved overdrive and distortion units around.

The origin of guitar distortion goes back to the earliest electrified blues guitarists.

They didn’t care that their primitive tube amps were breaking up and distorting, as long as they were loud. Soon, blues guitarists grew quite fond of those nasty, gnarly distorted tones, and they sought to replicate them by any means necessary.

Enter the overdrive pedal. Designed to push an amp to the brink, the overdrive pedal allows players to summon singing sustain, compelling crunch, and glorious grit at any volume level, giving guitarists the bite and balls they need for genuine blues-approved tone.

While a handful of purists prefer to plug a guitar straight into an amp, most blues guitarists these days have a handful of overdrive, distortion and even fuzz boxes in their rigs.

Thanks to the proliferation of boutique pedal builders over the past 20 years, there are easily more than a thousand distortion devices available to help guitarists find their signature blues sound.

The following pedals are the top 10 classics and modern marvels that get our mojo working when we spank that plank and crank up the volume.

10. Way Huge Pork Loin

By blending modern soft-clipping BiFET overdrive and classic clean “British” preamp tone pathways, the Pork Loin allows players to dial in raw, raunchy tones that never lose bottom-end clarity or definition. The Pork Loin plays a massive role in Joe Bonamassa’s bigger-than-life modern blues sound.

9. Klon Centaur

The Klon Centaur’s legendary clean boost transforms a guitar’s natural tone the same way a livestock farmer turns a piglet into a prize-winning porker—by making it bigger, fatter, juicier, meatier and more muscular.

Centaur designer Bill Finnegan discontinued production several years ago, driving prices for used Klons well above $1,000, but he’s trying to bring a similar pedal to the market again with the same hand-selected parts, attention to detail and signature sound that the numerous “klones” have failed to match.

8. PaulC Audio Tim

Thanks to its impressive tonal range and expressive touch sensitivity, the Tim is a favorite of tube amp aficionados who don’t want to sacrifice the dynamic response of their favorite amps but need more gain and tonal-shaping capabilities. With the EQ controls set at 12 o’clock, it provides some of the most transparent clean boost and overdrive tones available.

7. Fulltone Full-Drive 2

Fulltone makes an impressive variety of incredible overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals, including the OCD, PlimSoul and Fat-Boost FB-3, but when it comes to the blues, most guitarists choose the Fulltone Full-Drive 2.

With separate overdrive and boost footswitches and mini toggle switches for selecting clean boost, midrange emphasis, MOSFET clipping and more, the Full-Drive 2 is a versatile overdrive pedal that makes it easy to dial in your own signature blues tones.

Comments

I've been using my rectifier setting on my Cube 30 for gain/distortion. I had an original Dimebag Distortion that actually was two pedals in one but I sold it due to being unemployed. I dig tubes but also dig low/no maintenance. My ears are pretty happy with the BOSS Cube and that's what counts.

I've been using my rectifier setting on my Cube 30 for gain/distortion. I had an original Dimebag Distortion that actually was two pedals in one but I sold it due to being unemployed. I dig tubes but also dig low/no maintenance. My ears are pretty happy with the BOSS Cube and that's what counts.

I own the Blackstone and the King of Tone. Both, just awesome pedals. But I also own one of the very 1st Fulltone OCD overdrive pedals made and it's a crime that this pedal isn't on this list! The newer OCD's don't stand up to the original, 1st series OCD. I play Blues and Blues-based-rock. The OCD is one I keep going back to. I also have a 1968 Vox ToneBender...also very cool, on the music I play...leaving the original OCD out is criminal!!!

I've owned several of these pedals or related models, and I understand you need to have a list and all; but I'd have to say that there are a lot of nice boutique pedals coming out; but rather, than get into a list of newbies, I think the DEMETER FOD-1 should be on here before many of the others. I would add that although, I liked the Blues Driver it seems a bit stale like many of if not all the Boss Pedals even after an expensive modification. I had one of the newer tube screamers and a somewhat mass produced clone; I don't get it other than SRV played one. Not so sure, he used two simultaneously though. I do want a Blackstone Appliances and also one of those new Kazoos; but for now, I'm happy enough with my new Tim Pierce Signature Preamp/OD and some other fairly inexpensive but nice pedals from Vick Audio.

Kind of curious why the writer had to snatch images from the web for this article. Can I assume he never actually used any of these pedals he wrote about? Wouldn't that mean that the entire article was bogus? Nice job GW..

This originally appreared in the print version of the mag. More likely it was tthe web editor who snatched the images from the internet because it was convenient to do so. Do you really think someone who has reviewed gear for various guitar mags for 20 years (including the Klon Centaur for GW back in the October '96 issue - google it - and once reviewed 100 different distortion pedals in a single review for Guitar School) hasn't played a Tube Screamer or Big Muff let alone a Tim or Blackstone?

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I have two problems in my guitar lessons...First one is when I put three fingers together they are wider than the space between the frets which makes it difficult to play even a chord with three fingers and the other is flexibility in my wrist and fingers that makes me uncomfortable to play....Please show me some way to improve this...Thanks!!

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